What’s in a Poem?
Posted: November 30, 2010 Filed under: Poetry, Writing | Tags: Art, Dance, Harlequin, Intimacy, Mitch Barrett, Poetry, Voices 2 CommentsWhen this blog was on the Today.com site, as I’ve mentioned before, I published a poem at the end of every post. In “Poetry Worth Noting” I reposted two poems written by others that I had posted on the old blog site, which received several views, making me think that perhaps the poetry is something that my readers might have an interest in. So, in this post, I will publish two of my own poems and tell you a little about the stories behind them. Please leave comments to let me know if this is something that you would like to see more of here, on Writing to be Read.
The first is called Voices and it really has a lot to do with the point where I really began to feel like a writer. I was preparing for the 2008 Fremont County Writers’ and Artists’ Fair. I had a table at the fair, but I had no book to sell, so I was putting each of my poems on an illustrated background for display. While looking for a suitable background for this particular poem, I discovered a painting, by artist Mitch Barrett, of the same name. I contacted the artist and obtain copyright permission to use his painting as the background for my poem. This was all very exciting for me for several reasons. First, the painting fit absolutely perfect with the content of the poem, with a central head, surrounded by faces that all seemed to be screaming at him. Second, this was the first time that I had every participated in any type of writing function, and I was beginning to feel like a “real” writer. And third, Mitch Barrett lives in England, and that is where he called me from. I was thrilled that this man would go out of his way to make an international call to me and grant me permission to use his work!
Voices
Is what I hear voices from above?
Or are they the voices of foolish love?
Sometimes they tell me to open my eyes,
And not believe your blatant lies.
Sometimes they tell me to forgive all.
At times they warn that I’m about to fall.
Sometimes they whisper, so I can barely hear.
Other times, they are so near
That it sounds as if they’re shouting in my head.
Sometimes they caution; I could end up dead.
They tell me I’m heading for dangerous ground,
Or tell me I shouldn’t have you around.
Sometimes they say I’m headed straight for the top.
Other times, they scream that I must stop.
They urge me to go faster,
Then they say slow way down.
They seem to speak most
When there’s no one around.
They tell me to do what I feel is right,
But then they say that it’s not worth the fight.
When I feel that my heart is shattered glass,
They say that I’d better get off my ass.
They that I might just think for a bit,
But they never allow me to give up or quit.
I listen, sometimes long into the night,
And they always say that I must do what is right.
They push me one way, then pull another.
Sometimes they sound just like my mother.
Often, I wonder if they’re from my past.
Sometimes, I long for silence at last.
Is what I hear voices from above?
Or are they the voices of foolish love?
Background Painting by Mitch Barrett, Poetry by Kaye Lynne Booth
The second poem that I would like to include here, came about because of Voices and that first initial contact with Mitch Barrett. Not long after the fair, Mitch contacted me about some paintings he was working on that he wanted to display with poetry, and he asked me to see what I could come up with to go with them. He explained what he was trying to do in the painting and sent me sketches of what the intended works would look like. This past summer, his painting, Intimacy went on display at the Kaleidoscope Gallery at Battle Sea Park, in London, featuring my poem, Intimacy and the Harlequin Dance. Just recently, the painting sold, which thrilled me to no end. It now has a home in Milan, I am told. It is a great painting, with my poetry, and there has been interest expressed by gallery owners of exhibiting more artwork/poetry combinations, so I may be collaborating with this talented artist again in the future.
Intimacy and the Harlequin Dance
By Kaye Lynne Booth
We dance through the masquerade of life
Disguised to fit the music
Of so many different melodies
That at times, we forget which tune
Holds the heartstrings of who we really are.
Then one day, we find the perfect dance partner,
But to attain the perfect rhythm
We must open ourselves up and reveal our souls.
Intimacy requires that we relinquish the mask
To expose the genuine self that lies beneath.
After all the years of dancing to false tunes
Will we be able to keep time
To the genuine dance and the original rhyme?
Or shall we don the mask once more and continue to
Keep time to the false melody of the Harlequin dance?
Painting by Mitch Barrett, Poetry by Kaye Lynne Booth
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Inside the Editing Process
Posted: November 25, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Editing, Writing Leave a commentOkay, I know I have been negligent in giving this blog the tender loving care that it deserves. I have been negligent in a lot of things lately, due to my husband’s illness and the care that he has required. I’ve taken leave from work, as well as cutting back time for writing and editing, but I’m trying hard to get back into the swing of things, so let’s talk about my latest endeavor. Did you catch it back there? Yep, I said editing. This has been a new and glorious prospect for me, because I’ve discovered that I am pretty good at it, and I’m learning a lot about writing, by looking at it from an editor’s perspective.
I never realized how much work really goes into the editing process. That was the first thing that I learned. I guess I hadn’t thought about it before, but it’s not just making a few corrections and sending it back to the author for repair. Oh, no. After that, the author sends the rewritten version back and you have to edit the whole thing again. Now this may sound like a pain, but I also learned that it is well worth it, for half the time I find things that I missed the first time around, or even change corrections that I had suggested back, because they didn’t have the effect that I thought they would. Many chapters go back for rewrites and then, re-editing four or five times, before I can call them good and put them in my finished folder. This is why they say you shouldn’t try to edit your own work, at least not on the final manuscript—authors can’t be objective enough about their own words, because they are too close to it. Through editing, I’ve been learning what to do in my own works, as well as what not to do. Here are some helpful things that I have learned so far, through my editing, about the writing process.
• I learned that sometimes autocorrect fixes things that don’t need fixing.
The computer program doesn’t recognize that you are writing dialog,
and sees a period as the end of the sentence, capitalizing the next word,
regardless of whether it should be or not. I’ve been constantly fighting
with this in my own writing, as well as when editing the work of others.
It also fails to pick up on things that need correcting. The computer
doesn’t distinguish between “Their” and “There”, or “Your” and “You’re”.
As long as the word has a legitimate spelling, the autocorrect doesn’t
perceive it as being wrong, even if it is wrong for the context of the
sentence.
• I learned that if you work with people and can be reasonable with
pricing and flexible with financing, you are often more likely to get
the job. I guess that is true for anything, not just editing, but I do
think it makes a difference. And I look at it this way; doing the job
for a little less than I would have liked and accepting payment in
installments, is better than losing the job because it is overpriced,
and not getting paid at all. I also think that this is one way in which I
can help out my fellow writers, and I’m all for that!
• I learned that sometimes, I can get so into the writing, that I take
liberties and actually suggest ways to reword things, instead of just
suggesting ways that it might be changed. So far this hasn’t been a
problem, but I can see where it could be. I’ll have to be careful not
to step on any author toes.
• I learned that while the bottom line is that the author is the boss, I have
been amazed at times, at how willing the author may be to take my
suggestions to heart. It brings a smile to my face each time I see one of
my suggestions implemented, and makes me feel good to know that I
might actually be making a difference that improves the work’s chances
of being published.
• I learned that when I feel like I’m going to scream if I have to read
chapter two one more time, it’s time to put it down and move onto
the next chapter. That’s when I need to pick up a chapter from the
file that is still waiting for first edit, and read something fresh that I
haven’t scrutinized so many time that I lost count. And… there is
such a thing as over analyzing and it is easy to do. I’ll have to be
careful not to pick each chapter to death.
• I learned that I like editing. I was hesitant at first to get into the editing
side of the business, because I’d never done it before. No experience.
But how are you going to get experience?…. Exactly! So far, I think I’m
holding my own. (By the way, it also felt great to be able to add copy
editing services to my website as I redesigned it, and to find my name
listed in the acknowledgements of the book as someone who helped
make it happen.)
• I learned that if I do too much editing at one time, I start making
changes and correcting spelling and punctuation in everything I
read. I have to remember to consciously switch mental gears,
when I’m reading for pleasure, rather than business. Somehow, I
don’t think Stephen King would be as interested in my suggestions
as my clients are.
Well, that’s what I have learned so far about editing. I have no doubt that I’ll learn more, as time passes and I edit more manuscripts, and of course, I will share it here, in hopes that it might help you to learn something, or at least make you chuckle.
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Listening to Experience
Posted: November 16, 2010 Filed under: Writing | Tags: Books, Writing, writing advice Leave a commentNo two writers are alike, and what works for one, may not necessarily work for another. On the other hand, every successful author was once a writer, just starting out. We’ve all been there. Some of us are still there. So, why not learn from those that have moved on and achieved a degree of success? With this in mind, I have composed a list of the top twenty writer’s tips for all to learn from. Some, I have found through Internet research, while others were given me personally, while doing author profiles for my Southern Colorado Literature Examiner column. Often, these author quotes may seem to be saying the same thing as other authors have said before them. I figured that if I was hearing it again and again, from more than one successful author, then maybe it is worth taking special note of, so I have included them all, even if the advice is similar to what others have said.
My Top Twenty Writer Tips
• “Write what you love, and love to write. Honestly, I can think of nothing more important and more true.” Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief (“Q&A: Susan Orlean”, Editor Unleashed)
• “read widely in your chosen genre, to see what kind of writing and stories are being published.” Beth Groundwater, author of the Claire Hanover Gift Basket Designer Mystery series (“Beth Groundwater – Success is no Mystery”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• Never give up – “after being rejected by 89 agents before the 90th one signed me on, I advise every writer who is looking for an agent to query at least 100 before giving up, especially if you’re getting feedback and full-manuscript requests” (“Beth Groundwater – Success is no Mystery”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Read a lot first — I read 100 novels my last year in law school and 200 more over the next couple of years after that. I wasn’t educated and didn’t know what had been done.” Kent Nelson, author of The Touching that Lasts and numerous others (“Kent Nelson – A True Southern Colorado Author”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “If there’s a formula for writing a “successful novel” I don’t know it. If you’re serious about it, you write the best book you’re capable of, for your own reasons, according to your own lights. I think it’s as impossible as that.” Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong (“Kent Haruf: Colorado Author Touches the Heart”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Write what you know…I think once you write in and or about something
you’re truly passionate about, the work will show it.” Cicily Janus, author of The New Face of Jazz (“Cicily Janus Helping Fellow Writers Along the Way”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “I wasn’t the best writer I knew when I was a teenager. I knew many, many
writers who were much, much better than I was. But most of them stopped
writing somewhere along the way. So part of what you can do to be a
writer is just keep writing.” Jessy Randall, author of The Wondora Unit (“The Literary World of Jessy Randall”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “The best piece of writing advice I ever got was to write the sort of story you always wanted to read.” Todd Mitchell, author of young adult novel and finalist for the Colorado Book Award, The Traitor King (his website)
• “Don’t give up, if you truly believe and love this work, then work harder. Go back and re-edit your manuscript a third time. Make it stronger. Take a chance and go deeper with the emotions.” Romance author Lorhainne Eckhart (“Interviewing Romance Author Lorhainne Eckhart”, Talk About My Favorite Authors: Our Opinions About the Authors We Love to Read, Jordan, Phoebe, 8/25/2009)
• Start with a promise and then make sure to follow through and deliver to your readers. Jessica Page Morrell, veteran writing coach and author (“Start with a Promise”, Editor Unleashed)
• Learn to write excellent query letters, as this is where you sell your work and yourself. Sue Midlock, writer and illustrator (Personal communication)
• “Make sure that by the time you have one novel published, you have the next half-written,” she said. “Always be a moving target.” Author, Iris Murdough, quoted by author Amanda Craig, “Starting A New Novel – or being a moving target”(Aug. 6, 2009, Amanda’s Blog)
• “Two things are important to remember:
#1 Once the book is published, it no longer belongs to us. It belongs to each individual reader.
#2 The book is not the writer who wrote it. Your book is not you. You are not the book.” Colorado Springs romance author, Barbara O’Neal (“Preparing for Publication Anxiety”, Writer Unboxed)
• “Read, read, read. And write, write, write. Then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Subscribe to the magazines you want to be published in. Don’t give up.” Annie Dawid, author of AND DARKNESS WAS UNDER HIS FEET: STORIES OF A FAMILY (“Westcliffe author Annie Dawid is always on the go” Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Invest in your profession. Take classes, attend workshops, join a supportive critique group, participate in professional writers’ organizations and as early as you possibly can, go to workshops and conferences (SCBWI, Chautauqua, and Highlights Founders Workshops). Look into correspondence courses such as those offered by The Institute of Children’s Literature. And, if you are serious about becoming a top quality children’s writer, consider finding the $20,000 to enroll in a low residency MFA program in writing children’s Literature.” Young adult author of the Santa Fe Trail Trilogy, Mary Peace Finley (“Award winning children’s author Mary Peace Finley brings history alive for young readers” Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Join writers’ organizations, get in a critique groups, enter writing contests, write every day, finish projects, then submit them to agents and publishers. Submit a lot, and stick with it through the rejections (I once got twelve in one day). While submitting one project, work on another. Keep writing. Keep writing. Keep Writing.” Mystery author, Robert Spiller (“Author Robert Spiller writes what he knows” Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Discover your writing life style. Do you work best with a strict routine, writing on a set schedule? Does your writing respond best when the muses call or when the mood is right? There’s no right way to approach writing. Find what works for you, and when you do, honor your commitment with the space, equipment and undisturbed focus it deserves.” Young adult author of the Santa Fe Trilogy, Mary Peace Finley (E-mail interview, September 1, 2009)
• “ if you don’t love it, you won’t persist through the hard bits and you won’t dig deeper to fund the truth of your characters and the logic of your plot.” Fantasy author, Carol Berg (“Epic fantasy author, Carol Berg lives a writer’s fantasy of success”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Subscribe to Writer’s Digest. Read writers who specialize in helping other writers get started, like James Scott Bell and Randy Ingermanson. Go to a writer’s conference–or two or three. The more you learn, the more it’ll help you. But the best is to read what you love and then write better than those you’re reading. Tough orders, but what it takes these days to get published…” Christian Fiction author, Lisa Tawn Bergren. (“Heavenly inspiration keeps author Lisa Tawn Bergren running at a fast pace”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
• “Don’t look to people like me for guidance. Publishing exists in a starkly different world than it did twenty years ago. The strategies that were successful for me would probably doom a hopeful writer today. What endures? Good stories, intriguing characters, quality writing. What is required beyond that? Determination, tenacity, and a thick skin.”, bestselling mystery/thriller series author, Stephen White (“Bestselling series success was an unexpected surprise for Colorado author, Stephen White”, Southern Colorado Literature Examiner)
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Poetry Worth Noting
Posted: November 12, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Poetry Leave a commentWhen I started this blog, on the Today.com site, I published a poem at the end of every post. It seemed to be something that readers liked, and I had many poems that weren’t doing anything else at the time, so I just made it a practice. I tried to use poetry that fit in with the subject matter, and soon ran out of things that I had already written that fit. So, I found myself trying to write poems on the fly that would fit in with my posts. Some of those poems were okay, some were my worst attempts at poetry, but most were not really worth noting. However, there were two poems that I published on that site that were definitely worth noting. I was not the author of either one.
The first was written by a young man, named Brandon Boyd. He is the son of one of my oldest and dearest friends, and his poetry has depth for one so young. He now has a Facebook page dedicated to his poetry, which caqn be viewed at: I was proud to publish this poem by this as yet, undiscovered poet.
The Sands of Time
The sun once again breaks the horizon,
With the ball of fire my hopes begin risin.
The past is far gone and future is near,
My once foggy mind is starting to clear.
The cold wind blows but worse pain has been felt,
A new beginning and new cards have finally been dealt.
Grit my teeth at the past lettin go is a war,
But it’s time to look forward, rekindle the core.
Takin steps on each path with each step comes a choice,
Must not follow my instinct but only Gods voice.
Ill walk straight and narrow on my given path,
Nothin will stop me not even hells wrath.
The past is now gone into the depths of history,
What happens next in life is simply a mystery.
Each memory passes into the sands of time,
Never felt better I’m back in my prime.
The day is done the sun falls into night,
Awaiting tomorrow’s promising light.
My body falls asleep but my mind has awaken,
God with me through all I’m never forsaken.
-Brandon Boyd-
The other poem was written by a lady that I never even met. My husband was taking a creative writing class and had shared something about our son, who died two years ago, and his dog. I don’t even know what it was that he shared, but it inspired one of his classmates to write this lovely poem that just brought me to tears. She wrote it about our son and his dog, based on what my husband had said. I knew who it was about before I ever knew the story behind it. With her permission, I published this exceptional poem and would like to reprint it here.
Dance
when the air is brisk
and the breeze cool,
a presence is felt
and he invites me to dance with him
when i remember his smile
i swirl around to find him
he teases me, ready to play
and he invites me to dance with him
when i jump and run
along the mountain, my stage
i laugh and sing
and i invite him to dance with me
when we sprint down the hill,
wind whips through our coats
we fall into the yard
and we invite you to dance with us
when we call your name
and you don’t even answer
we continue to play
and we invite you to dance with us
look a little closer
at what you think you cant see
because we are here waiting
and we invite you to dance with us
Elizabeth Sansone
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Colorado Book Award winner, Laura Resau prepares for NaNoWriMo – Colorado Springs literature | Examiner.com
Posted: November 2, 2010 Filed under: Articles Leave a commentShare this:
Good Grief
Posted: October 29, 2010 Filed under: Writing | Tags: Emotions, Grief, Passion, Writing Leave a commentGrief is one of the most intense emotions in the spectrum of human emotions. Grief has driven men to murder and suicide, out of feelings of complete and utter despair. It is also one of the most powerful motivational tools a writer can have.Grief inspires such passionate, heartfelt writing, that its sincerity cannot be doubted. Even in fictional writing, touching, emotional scenes can be created by drawing on personal grief, and injecting feelings to produce a very convincing work. After all, we draw on our own experiences in everything write, so why wouldn’t this powerful emotion that stirs anguish and passion within us, become inspiration for some of our most moving creations?
Oh, sure. Anger and love rank up there in the highly inspiring motivations, as well, but there is something about grief that just grabs a hold of a person and latches on. Grief is not easily shaken. In fact, just thinking about a time when we grieved for the loss of a loved one is enough to bring those feelings back up close to the surface in an instant, no matter how long it has been since that loss was suffered. Now, I am not suggesting that anyone go and kill off a loved one for the sake of a story, but I am saying that when you have grief, you should learn to tap into it and channel the emotion into your writing.
When my son died two years ago, it didn’t seem like I would ever be able to write again, my sorrow was so overwhelming. While making preparations for his funeral, however, the matter of his eulogy came up, and I knew that I had to write it. It wouldn’t have been right to let someone else. The eulogy that I wrote was overflowing with the essence of who my son was and my feelings of loss, now that he was gone. That was the beginning of a long list of poetry and short stories that I have since written, that all draw on my grief from that same loss, as well as a good start on a memoir about his life and how he died. That collection has turned out to be some of my most moving work.
A well written book or story that has been inspired by grief brings tears to the eyes of readers. Grief is a strong and pungent emotion; it can become almost an addiction that you can’t get away from, no matter how hard you try, because it just won’t let go of you. Many writers drink in that bitter nectar and then channel it into something beautiful; something moving; something heart stirring. Written words of sorrow and despair have the ability to reach out from the page and grab readers, catching them unaware, and arousing their own sorrows and grief within themselves. Writers have realized this since the very origins of literature, when the grief of Gilgamesh, over the death of his friend, stirs in him a fear of death and a realization that he himself will someday die, which in turn, prompts him to journey into the realm of the Gods and the underworld, searching for eternal life.
So, the next time you feel tears brimming in your eyes, after you grab a tissue, rush to your notebook or keyboard and start writing. You never know when your grief will produce a passionate, moving story that will stir reader’s emotions and rock your world when it goes viral. I know. I’m still waiting for it, too, but don’t give up hope. It could happen!
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Thoughts on the Publishing Process
Posted: October 24, 2010 Filed under: Writing 1 CommentI recently learned that my agent is actively talking with an interested publisher about my Heather Hummingbird book. I realize that doesn’t guarantee that I will be published, but it thrills me just to know that someone is even considering publishing my children’s book. It’s one step closer to having it published than I’ve ever been before, the illustrations are coming along, and I am elated about the progress that has been made.
I never knew how exciting creating a book could be. It’s really quite exciting, and I behave just like a kid on Christmas, about each illustration that has been presented. I have been about as patient as a kid waiting for Christmas, too. My illustrator probably has wanted to strangle me at times, as she read my incessant e-mails, “When will you be done with the next one?”; “How is it going?”; “How long?”; “Are we there yet?”; “Are we there yet?”; “Are we there yet?”. Not only is she extremely patient and understanding, she is a talented illustrator, and each illustration that she produces makes the anticipation well worth it. Her name is Aidana WillowRaven, owner of WillowRaven Illustration and Design Plus. She is also incredibly creative in marketing, making items with her illustrations on them. She designed a mug and a magnet with the opening illustration for Heather, which can be viewed and purchased at the following websites:
http://www.zazzle.com/heather_hummingbird_flitting_from_flower_to_flower_magnet-147120592076358656
http://www.zazzle.com/heather_hummingbird_flitting_from_flower_to_flower_mug-168119809491565812
I guess all I’m really trying to say though, is that I am enjoying the ride, on this new and unexplored, (at least by me), territory that’s end result will be a published book. I am learning a lot about the publishing process. I didn’t realize how long everything takes to be completed. I didn’t realize how long it would take to illustrate a book, once it was written; or that it would probably take two years, once you have a publisher, for your work to come to completion, in the form of an actual book that people can buy. There is a lot more to it than I realized at first. I know that I will learn more as I go, and I’m looking forward to seeing this project through.
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How to Make an Easy Bird Treat
Posted: October 24, 2010 Filed under: Articles Leave a commentHow to Make an Easy Bird Treat.
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You’ll think twice about water after reading “Water Hazard”
Posted: October 11, 2010 Filed under: Book Review | Tags: Action, Adventure, Book Review, Tim Baker, Water Hazard 3 Comments
Water Hazard, by Tim Baker takes readers on a ride as wild as any water slide. When twelve year old Justin and his buddy heist a collection of CDs from a car parked in a construction area, they don’t realize what treacherous waters they are treading into. Included in the collection, are a pair of encrypted discs that contain valuable information about an illegal water pumping operation, that mean big bucks for the owners, and they will stop at nothing, including kidnapping and murder, to get them back. When the boys sell the CDs to a local music store, owner Steve Warwick and his friend Ike are plunged into the eddy, and they are determined to bring down the whole operation with a splash. It seems that the villains in this story have just been dog paddling, in an attempt to swim with the big sharks, and you’ll have to laugh as Steve and Ike outsmart the bad guys time and time again, as they slip and slide through all the loops, and watch the bad guys as they belly flop. Water Hazard is filled with back flips and cannon balls that will keep you guessing as to who will sink and who will swim, in this hilarious adventure of high jinks and intrigue.
